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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-11-2016, 03:43 AM
You didn't mention the price tag though, from what I've seen this costs upwards of $100,000.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-11-2016, 07:49 AM
If there wasnt a cost (like cathay pacific's program for Hong Kong citizens), this would be a game changer. With a cost like that, its pretty much worth it to go to a standard flight school and rack up hours that way. But the problem with that is it can be difficult to get wnough flight hours to become a first officer. Theres a fantastic pilot datasheet here, and anyone who is considering becoming a pilot should read it, it has some great info. Thanks for posting this, ill probably look into this program.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
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2019 COLOMBIA MOTORCYCLE TRIP DATASHEET
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-11-2016, 09:11 AM
Considering the likely pay, the likely prospects for advancement to a better carrier in light of the training and without military pilot experience, and the nature of the work, you're probably as well served becoming a municipal bus driver. That's all you are doing anyway, except replacing wheels for wings and more complicated controls. The latter sentiment isn't my opinion, but that of pilots with whom I've spoken.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-11-2016, 08:34 PM
I don't see how this is a deal. The whole thing behind the "starving pilot" idea is that they don't have 125k laying around to finance renting a plane for 1500 hours, so they then have to grind it out flying bush planes or instructing. It's like that old joke, "What's the easiest way to end up as a rich pilot? Start out as a very rich student"
That said, I recently met an instructor from Australia who said a thing that what some Asian airlines are doing is sending people down there for full training, with a guaranteed job on return, and the condition is that they stay for a prescribed time and the debt is forgiven. Modern day bondage, but an opportunity for those with more drive than money.
Though it was similar when I worked in oil in Asia, they'd send you for massively inflated internal training that on paper cost more than you'd make in a year for a 4 week course, but said if you quit in 2 years, you'd be liable for it. Not sure how enforceable or legal that was, probably wouldn't fly in the west, but in poor Asian countries, people seemed to not question it and were happy for the opportunity.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 03:22 AM
If I could be 20 again and my parents would fund me I would consider it.
Not to derail but is there an actual need of airline pilots at all?
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 05:02 AM
Yeah, that got me laughing too, $125 being "socially accessible".
The important thing with airlines is getting all the licenses/ratings and enough flight experience (few thousand hours). Once you have that and are willing to work abroad, there are many options available world-wide, especially with number of flights rising and the industry warning about upcoming pilot shortage for years.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 05:12 AM
Aren't pilots going to be fazed out like bus drivers and taxi drivers with technology going towards automation?
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 05:18 AM
Agree with the sentiments in this thread. $125k over 15 months to become a commercial airline pilot is ridiculous. If I recall correctly, starting pay at a national airline like JetBlue is like $35k per year (I'm too lazy to Google it, but that's my recollection from a few years ago).
If you really want to become a commercial airline pilot, my guess is you'll be better served by doing something else for a few years, if not a decade. As I understand, the world airline industry will soon face a shortage of pilots, when all the baby boomer pilots retire and/or die. I'd guess at that point, the airlines will subsidize your training more.
The program makes sense from JetBlue's perspective though. Everyone knows the pilot shortage is coming, so they're hoping that by being the first mover, they can lock in some pilots for cheap.
Regional airlines are already feeling the pressure - because their pilots are usually the newest, and the major airlines can offer higher pay to regional pilots.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 06:56 AM
Where is the foreign airline with the hot flight attendants, non-PC culture, and high pay that is offering training? I believe Cathay Pacific does it for Hong Kong citizens but I haven't verified that. If there is one that offers training to American citizens, I think we will have a new Oil Sands type of thread. Haha.
So for me: If being a pilot meant I could make 150+k, bang model hot flight attendants, give out my buddy travel pass to hot sluts to visit me wherever, and fuck off in my free time traveling to wherever the fuck I felt, I'd say it'd be a pretty good deal. The job isn't very exciting (I've ridden in in the cockpit before as a passenger and it's pretty boring) but the perks and benefits would make up for it. Probably still wouldn't do it since I've got other options but I would give it serious thought given the unique benefits.
Instead today it is 20-40K pay for years on end with only possible potential to promote, shit quality of life, tons of debt unless ex-military, PC culture, and ugly flight attendants. Who the fuck would sign up for that?
Random thought: I'm still traumatized by the insane model like attractiveness of the foreign flight attendants I saw in Boston one time; they had little green hats and I think they were from a middle eastern airline. And while I'm not impressed easily by looks generally speaking but GAWDDAMN, those were some 9s and 10s if I ever saw some. They were hypnotic inducing.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 12:13 PM
@captain_shane
Not for a long time. Drones for specific tasks (military or civil) are one thing, but passenger transport is a completely different world.
The entire air traffic system is so vast and complex that it will take decades (centuries?) to completely automate it. It's not just the aircraft, it's things like air traffic control that will need revolutionary changes. We don't have the technology to replace human judgement and experience yet.
Once we have the technology, legislation will need to adapt. But the biggest issue will probably be the passengers themselves.
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JetBlue's New Pilot Training Program: no experience necessary, must be 19+ yrs old
03-12-2016, 12:24 PM
Many regional airlines are hurting now for pilots and it's expected to get much worse in the next 5-10 years as many pilots retire. It's not unheard of for airlines to give experienced pilots a $50,000 sign-on bonus, and that is expected to rise in the near future if more pilots aren't there to fill the slots. If I'm not mistaken, the number of military pilots has decreased; when you combine that with the high cost of financing private flight instruction, it makes sense that a regional carrier would try a program like this.